You Calculated My Treasure, I'll Poke Your Lungs (Seeking Follow-ups and Encouragement)

Dugu Bo looked at Fang Xuan with a hint of admiration in his eyes; the other party's thinking was exceptionally meticulous and his logic clear.

Just as Fang Xuan had said, he had investigated a few things—not in great detail, but they were largely consistent with what Fang Xuan had told him.

The boy was indeed an orphan, and he had indeed been adopted by an old man who sold medicine; the old man had died from snake venom. Fang Xuan hadn't lied to him.

"Tell me about your Bone-Scraping Poison Treatment method. I won't take advantage of you; as long as the method is effective, you can ask for any favor within my power."

"The condition is that it must not violate my bottom line."

As for where exactly that bottom line lay, Dugu Bo didn't say, setting a trap for the other party.

Yet, while he was setting a trap for Fang Xuan, wasn't this also a trap Fang Xuan had set for him?

After all, this was exactly the sentence he had been waiting for; otherwise, he truly had no reason to get Dugu Bo to take him to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

"Since you have said so, Senior, then I will not stand on ceremony."

"I heard from Miss Dugu Yan that you have a medicinal garden, Senior. If possible, I would like you to take me there so I can search for a few herbs."

Dugu Bo was stunned. Good grief, I just said I'd give you a favor, and you're asking for it immediately? This brat came prepared.

"How could that girl Dugu Yan spill everything? She's practically turned her grandfather's pockets inside out."

He really couldn't do anything about Dugu Yan; after all, she was his only kin left.

"Very well, but only on the condition that your method is effective."

Fang Xuan's request wasn't excessive, and taking him there wouldn't hurt.

Moreover, he had already guessed why the boy wanted to find herbs—plainly put, he wanted to resolve the martial soul defect of the Ye Family.

He's a good child who loves deeply, it's a pity he isn't my grandson-in-law.

Dugu Bo sighed inwardly. After all, since meeting Fang Xuan, he could no longer look at that brat Yu Tianheng the same way.

If it weren't for the fact that his granddaughter liked him, and that the boy's attitude was indeed beyond reproach, he wouldn't have been able to force them apart, would he?

But come to think of it, Fang Xuan was now his apprentice in name, wasn't he?

They say an apprentice is like half a son; if he couldn't be his grandson-in-law, being a foster son wasn't bad either.

Thinking of this, Dugu Bo felt much better.

"No problem, we can start now."

"So soon? Do you not need to prepare anything?"

Seeing Fang Xuan ready to begin immediately caught Dugu Bo off guard.

"Prepare? Just get me a few silver needles; I don't need anything else."

"But let's be clear beforehand: this is my first time doing this, so I can't guarantee a hundred percent success."

Fang Xuan clarified the stakes first. After all, he had never done this before, and it wasn't impossible for some minor accidents to occur.

The most he could guarantee was that nothing major would go wrong; he would handle the rest as the situation developed.

"Wait, are you using me as a test subject?!"

"Don't put it so harshly. I'm just stating an objective fact. I've never encountered a Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor martial soul before, so where would I find the experience?"

"If I told you I could cure you one hundred percent, would you even dare to believe me?"

"If it really doesn't work, call your granddaughter over; it's the same if I test it on her."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo immediately backed down.

"Don't, let it be me. My old bones are still sturdy enough to withstand your tinkering."

Fang Xuan's words had struck Dugu Bo's weak spot, and he conceded on the spot.

"Don't say I'm scamming you. Eat this; it'll ensure nothing goes wrong."

As he spoke, a spirit ring appeared behind Fang Xuan. His fifth spirit ring lit up, and a drop of deep green liquid appeared in his hand.

"This is... your spirit skill? Such a rich aura of life."

Staring at the Life Dew in Fang Xuan's hand, Dugu Bo examined it up and down like a curious child.

"By the way, what was your martial soul again? A seed... it grows into a plant in seven days, and then..."

He had never seen Fang Xuan use his martial soul, but he had heard about it from Dugu Yan.

It was his first time encountering such a miraculous martial soul, but that was normal.

After all, there were countless martial souls on the Douluo Continent; it wasn't rare to see some strange and bizarre ones.

Just like over at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, it seemed that old scoundrel Yu Yuanzhen had a son who awakened a dog that could only fart—Yu Xiaogang, if he recalled correctly.

At this thought, an evil plan instantly surged into Dugu Bo's mind.

Old Thunder Dragon, if you dare let your grandson court my granddaughter, then don't blame me for stabbing you in the back.

Everyone knew Dugu Bo was a doting grandfather. Even if Yu Tianheng was a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, he didn't necessarily think much of him.

If it were just Yu Tianheng, he was a junior, so it would be hard to go for the kill.

But Yu Yuanzhen was different. Thinking he could marry off his granddaughter just by using a spirit bone as a dowry? He was dreaming.

He couldn't beat Yu Yuanzhen, but that didn't mean he couldn't play dirty.

Standing to the side, Fang Xuan naturally had no idea what Dugu Bo was thinking; he only felt that the man's smile was a bit chilling.

His instinct told him that the old man was up to no good, but it didn't seem to be directed at him. Could it be...

Fang Xuan's mouth twitched. It looked like Yu Tianheng was about to be in for some serious trouble.

The subsequent process went exceptionally smoothly, and after consuming the Life Dew, Dugu Bo felt refreshed from head to toe.

The potent life force acted as the perfect tonic, repairing the damage his body had sustained over the years from fighting his own toxins.

It was an unprecedented sense of relief, something he hadn't experienced in many years.

As the silver needles pierced his skin, Fang Xuan channeled his soul power into Dugu Bo's body, guiding him to direct the flow of his toxins toward the location of his soul bone.

The progress was agonizingly slow at first, like a snail crawling; the toxins accumulated within Dugu Bo were far more extensive than he had imagined.

They had almost completely permeated his entire body. In Fang Xuan's eyes, he was essentially a walking, human-shaped poison vault.

The toxins were as viscous as glue, making every tiny movement incredibly strenuous.

After struggling for half the day, they had only managed to extract a fingernail-sized amount of poison.

Yet, even this left Dugu Bo ecstatic. After all, he had never succeeded before; he hadn't even managed to extract a strand of hair's worth, let alone a fingernail's worth.

Finally, the stripped-away toxins traveled along his meridians to the soul bone, where Dugu Bo used his soul power to force them onto the silver needle and out of his body.

Looking at the poison clinging to the needle, Fang Xuan couldn't help but swallow hard.

"It truly lives up to its reputation as the most potent poison on the continent. It's terrifying."

The Jade Scale Snake Poison was incredibly toxic, especially the long-standing poison within Dugu Bo's body; its sheer lethality far exceeded anything ordinary.

"Hahaha, it really works! You're a capable kid; I didn't misjudge you."

"Let's go! I'm in a good mood today, so I'll take you to the herb garden right now. Take whatever you want—there's plenty to go around."

Before Fang Xuan could even react, Dugu Bo grabbed him and dragged him away.